


you know what they say about hindsight

by greenglowsgold



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, Guilt, friendship fic, mention of non-permanent canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenglowsgold/pseuds/greenglowsgold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe didn't know exactly what he did wrong the first time, to get Cisco killed, but it wasn't going to happen again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you know what they say about hindsight

**Author's Note:**

> Hedgi reminded me of a few things and I couldn't help but write this little drabble. It's short!! I wrote something short!

Joe was quiet for the rest of the conversation. Barry knew everything he did, anyway. He could explain it well enough, and leave Joe time to contemplate what the hell he was even doing, bringing these kids into this.

_”I’ve been having these dreams.”_

It was so easy to forget how young they were, when they were throwing out technical information that he hadn’t even known he didn’t know, or when they were acting as command central for the Flash, as easy as if they’d been doing it for years. But Caitlin was barely older than his own children, and Cisco was, God, he didn’t even know. Young enough that he’d gotten carded when they went out for a post-investigation drink, old enough that he’d passed the test, so, 22? 23?

_“But they don’t really feel like dreams.”_

And Joe had gotten him killed.

_“They feel real.”_

There was no use pretending the dreams weren’t real; stranger things had happened, Barry’s time travel included, and they had no idea what the rules for this were. If there was one thing that Joe did know, shouldn’t have ever let himself forget, it was how dangerous Harrison Wells could be.

_“Dr. Wells is the Reverse-Flash.”_

Cisco must have found something, something too damning for Wells to let it go quietly. Joe had brought him into his investigation of the man, trying — no, _expecting_ — to find evidence that he was a murderer, and he had never once questioned whether something bad would come of it. Not when Cisco was excitedly reassembling pictures from an old mirror, so self-confident and full of life that it was impossible to imagine him as anything else.

_“And he kills me.”_

He should have known better.

 

 

Joe pulled Cisco aside before he could leave, to ask him a question.

“Starling City?” Cisco replied, confused. “What’s there?”

“It’s where Dr. Wells had his accident, when his wife died. It seems like everything in his life up to that point was pretty clear, and then afterward he got all mysterious, started up STAR Labs and barely appeared in public. We think it might be important.”

“And it’s right after Barry’s mom died. Right.” Cisco rubbed a hand over his face, looking incredibly tired. Joe felt guilty; after tonight, he really should let the kid just go home and rest, but he needed to do this.

“I’m gonna head down there tomorrow, and I could use some help. Not exactly sure what we’re looking for.”

Cisco nodded. “Sure, but, why don’t you just take Barry? He could get there faster, anyway.”

“Barry needs to be here. Besides, you found things at the house that no one else ever would’ve found.” It was true, technically, but it wasn’t the real reason he was asking.

Joe had no idea what could have tipped Wells off the first time around, what Cisco could have learned or said that made him decide it was too big a risk, but he knew that it wasn’t going to happen a second time. He was taking Cisco out of town, tomorrow, and they weren’t coming back until they had a better handle on what was going on.

“I guess.” Cisco shrugged, but Joe could tell he was pleased to be needed. “If you really want me along.”

“I do.”

He’d watch the kid’s back and keep a hand on his gun 24/7 if he had to.

 


End file.
